Seminar Report 2026

Convener

Jason J. McFarland

Description of Work

The Liturgical Music Seminar heard and discussed papers and
presentations related to liturgical music. It also had two joint
sessions, one with the Liturgy and Cultures Seminar, and one with
the Issues in Medieval Liturgy Seminar.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

Papers and presentations related to liturgical music will again be
heard and discussed. There are tentative plans for another joint
session with the Issues in Medieval Liturgy Seminar.

Seminar Report 2022

Convener

Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL is the Sister Margaret William McCarthy Endowed Chair of Music at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where she teaches courses in music and religious studies.

Members in Attendance

Carl Bear (on-line), Patrick Evans, Chad Fothergill, Jon Gathje, Kim Harris (on-line), Jonathan Hehn (on-line), Alan Hommerding, Heather Josselyn-Cranson, Swee-Hong Lim (on-line), Jason McFarland, Michael McMahon, Mario Pierson, Paul Westermeyer (on-line).

Visitors in Attendance

Kristian Kohler, Andrew Stoebig, John Weit, J.J. Wright

Description of Work

The Liturgical Music Seminar learned about the process behind the creation of two new hymnals, the ELCA supplement All Creation Sings and the Mennonite hymnal Voices Together. We spoke with Swee-Hong Lim, the author of a chapter about musicologist and hymn-writer I-to Loh in an upcoming book Doing Liturgical Theology. We discussed two new studies: an exploration of music and theology in the Emerging Church and a survey of the use of organ preludes in Presbyterian worship. Finally, we continued work on an ecumenical theology of liturgical music that the seminar intends to publish as a joint project.

Papers and Presentations

• Carl Bear and Sarah Kathleen Johnson, “Introducing ‘Voices Together,’ A New Hymnal and Worship Book for Mennonite Churches.”
• Jonathan Hehn, “A Liturgical History of the Organ Prelude in Presbyterian ”
• Heather Josselyn-Cranson, “Music and Theology in the Emerging ”
• Jason McFarland, “A Report on Doing Liturgical Theology: Method in Con- text.”
• John Weit, “Introducing ‘All Creation Sings,’ A Liturgy and Song Supple- ment from the ELCA.”

Other Work and Plans for the Future

We look forward to a presentation by Alan Hommerding on the new edition of Sing With Understanding that he has been editing. We are also considering possible guest speakers or opportunities for visits that will take advantage of our location in Toronto.

Seminar Report 2020

Convener

Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL, ThD, Sister Margaret William McCarthy Endowed Chair of Music, Regis College, Weston, MA

Members in Attendance

Deborah Appler, Mary Fran Fleischaker, Chad Fothergill, Phil Ganir, Rawn Harbor, Kim Harris, Alan Hommerding, Martin Jean, Heather Josselyn-Cranson, Jason McFarland, Mike McMahon, Jonathan Ottaway, Anthony Ruff OSB, Daniel Schlorff, Jonathan Tan, John Weit, Cynthia Wilson

Description of Work

The Liturgical Musical Seminar began its work in 2020 with Jason McFarland facilitating a consideration of the creation of a joint project or publication. There was great interest expressed in this idea, and members of the seminar will continue to sharpen the focus of this work over the coming year.

On Friday afternoon, our seminar met jointly with the Advent Project Seminar. To the members of both groups, Heather Josselyn-Cranson presented a study entitled “The Sounds of Advent: Musical Means Behind a Seasonal Aesthetic.” This study explored the musical differences between Advent hymn tunes and hymn tunes used with non-Advent hymn texts, including differences of texture, key, mode, and date of composition. Members of both seminars then held a singing session to explore new Advent texts and music written by David Bjorlin, Alan J. Hommerding, Heather Josselyn-Cranson, and Jonathan Kohrs. Advent Project Seminar founder William H. Petersen presented a paper entitled “Hidden Treasures: Discovering Unusual Advent Music.” In the paper, Petersen conducted an analysis of three hymn texts that are not usually included in the Advent sections of hymnals: “O Day of God Drawn Nigh,” “Lord Christ When First you Came to Earth,” and “Joy to the World.”

At our next session, Jason McFarland led members of the Liturgical Music Seminar in a discussion of chapter seven of Kevin Irwin’s revised Context and Text that includes substantial attention to the role of music within the liturgy. The discussion considered the use of antiphons rather than hymns in the mass, the growing multicultural reality of the church, and Irwin’s liturgical-theological method as demonstrated in his study of the antiphons for the season of Lent.

On Saturday, we shared one of our sessions with the Medieval Liturgy Seminar. Anthony Ruff led a practicum on singing medieval chant. Following this experience, Ruff, Christopher Hodkinson, and Rebecca Maloy contributed to a panel discussion on the question of the extent to which plainchant can be understood to express emotion, and the possibility of modern chant performers being able to understand the emotion that plainchant conveyed to its earlier singers.

Kim Harris presented the final paper to the seminar, entitled “The Emergence of Black Roman Catholic Liturgical Music: A Transnational Conversation.” In her paper she explored the history of Black Catholic music in the United States, including early twentieth-century performance of plainchant in Latin at St. Augustine’s in Washington D.C., Catholic roots within the Negro Spiritual tradition, and the groundbreaking compositions of Fr. Clarence Joseph Rivers.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

The Seminar will continue to work on a joint project or publication.